Take My Hand
by TheMusicManiac
Summary: Just a one-shot of Kazuto and Asuna. See author's notes for details :)


Author's Notes: Hello! This is just a little romance thing that I did of SAO. It's after ALO but before GGO. Starts out sorta fluffy, but I don't like too much fluffy, so it changes. If you are hoping for some bed action, you ain't gonna find it here! :) I believe in clean fan fiction, sorry.

I sat at my desk looking at video gaming news on my computer. Just killing time, not necessarily comprehending or caring about the words on the screen. Asuna said she wanted to come by today but wouldn't tell me when. I was bored, I'll admit, but there was nothing to do. Sugu was at kendo practice and my aunt was still at work of course. Being home alone never bothered me, but it gave me too much time to think. I considered putting on my NerveGear again to distract me, but it wouldn't do anything. I had no game left that I wanted to play.

I sighed and scrolled down, seeing a picture of Kayaba, with a paragraph underneath of someone's theory of why he did what he did. I was surprised that people on the net were STILL talking about that.

Just then, my musings were interrupted by a firm knock on the front door. Sounded like the fist of a man, but I knew better. I smiled a little and went down the stairs to answer it.

"Hello, Asuna."

"Kirito!" She walked in and immediately hugged me.

"You know that's not my name." I closed the door, still letting her hand on my. I could feel her breathing on the back on my neck, and it made my skin tingle.

"I'm sorry, Kazuto." Asuna looked up at me with her beautiful hazel eyes. She let go and I took her hand, leading her upstairs.

"You know I don't care all that much." I smirked.

"W-why are we—-"

"Downstairs is boring, and it's raining outside." I had an idea. We entered my room and I took her coat off for her, putting it on the bed. I left the door open a little and cracked the window so I could hear the rain. Then I sat down at my desk and told her, "Close your eyes." She obeyed, with a confused expression.

I searched and found what I was looking for, and clicking on the link, it took me to the desired page. I clicked the button and told her, "You can open them."

Soft radio music emitted from my speakers, and Asuna looked at me with her hands on her hips. "What is this supposed to be?"

"I thought you liked this kind of music."

"Hmph…" She couldn't hide from me that she wanted to dance along. She let her hands hang at her sides, unsure of what to do, but swaying slightly to the melody.

I rose from my desk chair and pushed it in, holding out my hand. "Could I have this dance?" Asuna's face lit up with her wonderful smile, forgetting that she was supposed to be annoyed. Taking my hand, she replied,

"Yes, you may."

Her smooth hand fit perfectly into my rough one, and I slowly reached my other hand toward her waist. She put her free hand on my shoulder and we swayed together to the music, sort of laughing at our awkwardness.

The voice singing seemed to drown out the world, but that rain wanted a voice too. It sang outside as if to cheer us on, and a relieved smile crept across my face. This is what I needed…

"What is it?" She looked up at me as we moved across the floor.

I said nothing, but moved towards the speakers and took my hand off her waist for a moment to turn it up. Gazing in her eyes, I whispered,

"Dance like tomorrow isn't coming."

With that, she twirled and spun around me, and I kept up the best I could. It didn't matter that the room was small, it didn't matter if the song changed, and it especially didn't matter that I wasn't even close to her skill in dancing. I had learned a little flexibility from the years of sword fighting, but not as much as Asuna. I remembered how when she fought, she fought with such fluid and graceful movements that it might be called "dancing with a rapier" instead of "fighting with a rapier". I held her at arms length and watched her twirl into and out of my arms.

Then the song ended and the radio host started to talk. We were back where we'd started: two hands clasped together and the other two on each other. Our eyes met and we both grinned and laughed.

"We make pretty good dance partners."

"Even though you barely know HOW to dance." Asuna teased. She reached up and kissed me gently.

"Asuna…" I sighed.

"What?"

"I just…"

"Tell me." She poked my chest, where my heart was.

"I needed this. I think too much when I'm alone."

She cocked her head and placed her other hand on my neck, hanging again. "About what?"

"About SAO. About you. About my life. Just stuff."

"If it's just stuff, then why do you need something to distract you?" She hit a nerve there. I shouldn't have said anything, because now she would think something's wrong.

"It's alright, never mind. There's nothing to worry about."

Asuna gave me the eye and I turned away to turn the music off.

"Why are you avoiding the answer?"

"I shouldn't have said anything at all." I just smiled.

"Kirito—"

"Want to watch a movie? We have some downstairs." I poked her cheek. "My name is Kazuto."

Asuna stared me down and I met the gaze with difficulty. She sat down on the bed like she wasn't planning to move. "I'm not getting up until you tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong, Asuna. But we can just stay here if that's what you want." I sat beside her.

Taking on hand in both of hers, her hazel eyes bored unrelentingly into my dark grey ones. "I can tell that something's wrong. You would do the same for me if I was upset, so why won't you tell me?"

Holding her stare wasn't possible anymore. My eyes drifted down to the carpet and I was silent for a while. Maybe… She was right. What harm would there be in telling her what was bothering me? I could only benefit from it. So why was I afraid?

Before I could decide otherwise, I began, "Sometimes… I have this nightmare where I'm sitting with you in a rocking chair, reading. You're asleep, and we're sitting on the porch of the cabin we had in SAO. I'm happy. But then, everything starts to chatter. You disappear, and I stand up. I'm tense and panting, suddenly scared. I always wake up with tear streaks on my face." I said the last part quietly, and Asuna nodded reassuringly. "I'm just so used to you being gone that I… I have to remind myself that you're real and that you're safe. I have to remind myself that it's over now." I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "When I was upset, or angry, or sad, I used to go hunting, or explore a dungeon, or do some side-quest to get stronger. I would scream at the monsters and slash at them, but I never really felt better. There was always the thought: better, faster, stronger. Now that I can't do that as much, I don't know what to do with myself."

She sighed. "Kirito, you need to deal with feelings, not push them down. I know, I used to do that too, but it will only hurt you in the end."

I stared at my feet, my hand still in hers. "But I… don't know how…" Feelings passed through my brain like images in a photo album: my panic when I fought a particularly hard boss, my pain when I died, the adrenaline of fighting, my need for revenge against Kayaba. What dominated was my grief for Asuna, and I forgot she was there. I held my head in my hands, my breathing ragged. I started mumbling softly to myself, wanting to cry, "So far away… Where I can't reach her… Asuna…" I shut my eyes tight and prayed to no one that the pain would pass away, that in a moment or two I could get up and get on with my life again. Normally that's what happened. It would subside enough for me to push it aside and move on. But it wouldn't go away. The feeling got more intense, and a few tears leaked out of my eyes and onto the floor.

Then I felt a hand on my back and my eyes snapped open, wide with fear, I turned and saw Asuna, almost dying when I saw her face. "You're alive… You're okay…" I felt so relieved, like the weight of the world was lifted off of my shoulders.

She straightened me up and looked me in the eye, then hugged me, whispering in my ear, "Of course I'm safe. I've been here all along. Please just be okay now." That did it. I just melted into her and cried on her shoulder. She was real, she was my foundation, my proof that reality is worth it. She was my reason and solution for living, and I never wanting to let go. I cried, "Don't leave, please don't…" And she would reply softly,

"I'm still here."

Asuna…

After a short time, I dried my eyes and looked out the window. The sun was setting, but the rain was gone. My eyes met hers, and I leaned in to land a kiss on her lips. Sweet...

"Thank you, Asuna."

"You're welcome, Kirito."

I felt back on the mattress and she rested her head on my chest. We just lay there, soaking up the moment. I was going to savor every minute I had with her, for the rest of my life.

End of chapter notes: Hope this hurt your feels! I tried my hardest ^~^


End file.
